Injuries, off-field controversy, and declining play turned what was supposed to be a blockbuster trade into one of the most frustrating moves of the Titans’ recent era.
At long last, the Tennessee Titans have released cornerback L’Jarius Sneed after a disastrous two-year stint with the team.
Cutting Sneed will save Tennessee $11.4 million against the salary cap, but it was a long-awaited and necessary move for a franchise entering a new era.
The Titans acquired Sneed from the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2024 for a 2025 third-round pick and a late-round pick swap. Immediately after the trade, Tennessee signed him to a four-year contract worth $76 million, including more than $50 million in guaranteed money. The expectation was that Sneed would continue performing as one of the league’s more reliable cornerbacks and anchor the secondary as Tennessee’s No. 1 option on the outside.
He had previously been a shutdown corner for a Super Bowl defense in Kansas City. But that wasn’t the reality when he arrived in Tennessee.
Over two seasons in Music City, Sneed appeared in just 12 games for the Titans. A quad injury in 2024 landed him on injured reserve and spiraled into a season-ending setback after just five games. To make matters worse, he failed to record a single interception and his coverage performance was a noticeable step down from his days with the Chiefs.
After the season, Sneed underwent knee cleanup surgery that forced him to begin the 2025 campaign on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He made it back for the start of the season, only to suffer another quadriceps injury that once again sent him to injured reserve.
Somehow, the off-field issues made the situation even worse.
In December 2024, Sneed was also linked to a reported shooting incident outside a car dealership in Texas, adding another layer of off-field distraction during his tenure with the Titans.
Simply put, the juice was never worth the squeeze with L’Jarius Sneed.
After overhauling the secondary with free agent additions like Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott this week, moving on from Sneed became an obvious decision for the Titans.
While I was critical of the trade at the time, not even I expected things to unravel this badly. In many ways, Sneed’s tenure serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of trading for players with injury concerns and the volatility that comes with the cornerback position.
It’s one of the most important positions in football, but even some of the best players in the league can see their production fall off quickly.
Unfortunately, the Titans had to learn that lesson the hard way.
As frustrating as it may be to release Sneed without ever getting meaningful value from him, Titans fans should ultimately feel relieved to finally wipe their hands clean of the situation.